Frequently Asked Questions

about the NSF-REU at CMU

Q. Can I still attend the NSF-REU even if I am not a U.S. permanent resident or U.S. citizen?

A. Our funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for eight student positions is restricted by NSF policy to U.S. residents or citizens. However, we usually have two or three additional students who attend our summer program supported by some other type of funding. In particular, we usually have at least one international student supported by their own university. If you are interested in attending our program using your own financial support, please send me an email to that effect and then go ahead and apply to our program through the regular process, even if you are not eligible for NSF funds. On your application sheet, please make it clear that you are not a permanent resident and are seeking other funding. I will then follow-up on your application and try to coordinate your application and your support.

Many colleges have early deadlines for summer scholarships so please do this as early as possible.

Q. Can I send in an unofficial transcript? Can I submit materials electronically?

A. We will accept an unofficial transcript during the selection process. (After you have been selected for our program, we may request an official copy of your transcripts, for our records.) You may submit materials electronically by email or by fax. Email submissions should be sent to Ken.W.Smith@Cmich.edu. (Your faculty references may send their letters directly to that address.) Fax submissions should be sent to 989-774-2414; please put “ATTN: Ken Smith, REU at CMU” on the cover page.

Q. You ask for two recommendations letters. Do my references have to be math faculty? Could a graduate teaching assistant (or former employer or former high school teacher) be one of my references?

A. A graduate assistant who knows your work is certainly a valid recommendation.  If you have doubts, you might have more than two recommendations sent to us.  (We won't penalize you for sending more than 2!)  Our goal is to get a good feel as to your enthusiasm for mathematics and your willingness to work hard this summer on math.  Anything you can send us that helps make that case would be appreciated. For this reason, a graduate TA (or former employer or high school teacher) who knows you well might be a better reference than a college professor who, say, taught you in a large section of Calculus.

Q. Can you tell me more about the research projects we will be covering this summer?

A. There are five projects in graph theory, matrix analysis, statistical modeling, combinatorics and algebra. Reports from earlier projects (2002-2006) are available at links on the main REU webpage.

Q. How do I know which research topic I will work on?

A. During the first three days of the program, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, (June 4-6, 2007) the three faculty mentors will introduce five research topics. We ask that every participant in our program keep an “open mind” and learn as much as possible about all five topics. (And ask questions!) Then, on Wednesday afternoon, we will ask each student participant to write up a brief proposal, describing their top two research projects and the reasons that they find those projects interesting. The three professors collect these proposals late Wednesday afternoon.

On Thursday of the first week we will travel as a group to an outing at Mackinac Island in Lake Huron. This a fun day of sightseeing, bike riding … and shopping for fudge. During that trip the faculty will announce the project teams. (So far, our students have generally liked their team assignment and have felt that we made a good choice.) The next day, the Friday of our first week together, we will begin the research in our various teams….

Q. What does a typical math research day look like?

A. Our program runs for eight weeks. In the first week we introduce the research topics and you are eventually assigned to a research team (see the previous question.) For the rest of the summer you will meet on a daily basis with your faculty advisor and research team and then will spend much of the remainder of the day working individually or in a group, reading, calculating, thinking about your project. Our set-up is fairly casual; we have rooms set aside for these team activities but you may wish to go back to your apartment and work on your project there – some of the best work in the past has been done at 2 AM!

In the last week of the semester your team will make a presentation on your work and then write up a final report. We will also discuss traveling to various math conferences to present our discoveries.

Last updated February 26, 2007